Winter Driving Tips

The winter season brings more than pumpkin pie and Christmas trees — as the temperatures cool and precipitation increases, drivers have to deal with the rain, snow, sleet and ice that are typical this time of year.

How should you change your driving habits to accommodate the winter weather problems? What steps do you need to take to protect yourself and your passengers in these frigid months? Consider the following winter driving tips below:

1.Winterize Your Vehicle: The sooner you prepare your car for winter, the better. Take it in for a checkup and have the mechanics check tires, tire pressure, the battery, belts and hoses, oil, brakes, heater/defroster, etc. Likewise, exercise preventative maintenance by keeping your gas tank half full at all times, which can help keep it from freezing up.

2.Slow Your Speed: Driving on slick roads is not the same as driving on clear ones. If it’s raining, snowing or sleeting, or if the roads are icier in any way, you have to slow down. In fact, if there is even the chance that the roads might be bad, it’s best to be cautious. Put your turn signal on sooner, give yourself extra time to switch lanes and put a much larger following distance between you and cars in front of you.

3.Stock Up on Supplies: Pack your car with winter supplies in order to be prepared this season. You should have a snowbrush, an ice scraper, blankets in case you’re stranded somewhere in the cold and extra windshield washer fluid should you run out. It’s also a good idea to keep a shovel and a bag of sand in your trunk in case your vehicle gets stuck somewhere and you need to create traction to help move it out.

4.Don’t Drive if You Don’t Have to: When you know the weather is bad, postpone travel whenever possible. Go later to the meeting or drive to your family’s place for Christmas a day after you’d originally planned. Sometimes the best way to protect yourself in bad weather is to wait it out.

The colder months can make driving tricky — but staying safe is possible when you exercise caution on the roads. Use the tips above to protect yourself this season, wherever you go!

Author Bio:

Kimberly Quinones is the Vice President of sales at Newins Access Auto Insurance. Her and her team are focused on making every drive a safe one.